Magic select UT's Mo Bamba with No. 6 pick in NBA Draft

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Mohamed Bamba poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted sixth overall by the Orlando Magic during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Mohamed Bamba poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted sixth overall by the Orlando Magic during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Mohamed Bamba poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted sixth overall by the Orlando Magic during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Mohamed Bamba poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted sixth overall by the Orlando Magic during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the

AUSTIN — Not long after his only college season ended, Mo Bamba gathered his belongings and left Texas — the state and the school — behind. He had only three months to prove to NBA coaches, scouts and executives that he could do all the things they thought he could not.

The work paid off.

The Orlando Magic on Thursday selected Bamba with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He is the eighth lottery pick produced by UT and highest selection since Tristan Thompson went No. 4 to Cleveland in 2011.

Magic brass are hopeful Bamba can build a bridge to a new era of prosperity. The team has not qualified for the postseason since 2012-13 and has won more than 30 games only once during that span.

But there were a few glaring negatives Bamba needed to erase in order to ease concerns held by interested parties, so he focused on expunging those with a rigorous pre-draft training routine.

"These next three months, I'm basically going to be a caveman," Bamba said in March. "Just work."

He refined his jump shot, fixated on creating a quicker, more fluid release and extended his range comfortably beyond the 3-point arc. He ate and ate and ate and, gradually, muscle began to sprout all over his 7-foot frame. He structured workouts and training sessions around a gauntlet of media obligations, same as any "franchise face" might. Bamba wanted no questions to linger over an internal motor some deemed too finicky.

Bamba spent hours and hours training in California alongside athletic trainer Drew Hanlen, whose tutelage has helped youngsters like Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and Bradley Beal grow into some of the league's brightest emerging stars. He openly speaks of pilfering moves and routines from the elite to mold himself into a hoops-minded Frankenstein's monster, though he ultimately desires only to be the best version of Mo Bamba.

"I think he's a guy that can become a face of a franchise," Texas coach Shaka Smart said. "When you talk about marketability, he has an unbelievable personality. You guys got a sense of it to some extent. But he has even more to him, and he's extremely bright.

"I mean, the guy got a 30 on his ACT. I challenge you to try and find another first-round pick that got a 30 on his ACT. Intellectually and in terms of his emotional intelligence, he is in a class by himself."

Bamba is an athletic marvel, a sinewy tower of untapped potential. He's the type of prospect general managers bank their entire career on.

His measurements look like they've been doctored. A 7-10 wingspan, standing reach of 9-7½. At a workout for the Bulls earlier this month, he sprinted across three-quarters of the court in 3.04 seconds, a full .10 seconds faster than the time recorded by Wizards All-Star point guard and human blur John Wall during the 2010 combine. There has never been anyone quite like this giant from Harlem.

As a freshman at Texas, Bamba blocked a program-record 111 shots. He led the Big 12 in rebounds (10.5 per game) and double-doubles (15), and ranked second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg). He was arguably the most impactful defender in the entire nation.

Still, like most rookies not named LeBron James or Kevin Durant, he's no sure thing.

Until Bamba proves otherwise, questions will linger over his unpolished offensive game and drive and willingness to clash in the post. But Bamba believes, Orlando believes, and most everyone who has ever met the 20-year-old big man believes, that he's up to the task.

"He's the type of guy that you don't want to coach for just one year or even four years, you want to coach that guy for 15 years," Smart said. "So whoever gets him is going to get a phenomenal person, but also someone that as a long-term player, I can't really think of anyone that I've been around or even seen that has more potential than him."